Frederick searches for a new police chief

WASHINGTON – Maryland’s second-largest city will be looking for a new police chief over the course of the next month.

Frederick’s former chief, Kim Dine, left to take the chief job with the U.S. Capitol Police in December.

Mayor Randy McClement is now faced with two options – to promote from within or go to an outside agency to search for a new chief.

“I have HR looking into what it would cost for the process to go to an open search,” says McClement, who adds that going through an agency is expensive and that he has always been a proponent of hiring from within.

McClement says in addition to money, time is also a factor in hiring a new chief.

“This is the last year of our administration and an open search could take anywhere between four and five months,” he says.

In the meantime, Capt. Thomas Ledwell, former special operations commander, is acting chief. The mayor says he will try to make a decision by the end of February.